Salt’o
THE MULTIPLE PLAYER GAME TO DISCOVER ELECTRICITY JOBS
Salt'O is an asymmetrical team video game (virtual reality and computer). It allows you to discover 3 different jobs in electricity, focusing on technical gestures and communication between operators.Technical sheet
Name: Salt’O
Type: Asymmetrical multiplayer game
Number of gamers: 1 or 3
Duration: +/- 30 minutes
Accessibility: All public
Targer audience: 14 - 18 years old
Goal: The aim of this both virtual reality experience and a computer experience, is to display electrical sector little-known jobs.
Synopsis: 3 gamers play the role of different technicians. Together they have to collaborate and solve Toon City problems and restore domestic power
Platform: Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality headsets and computer.
PHASE 1: input data recovery
In order to create Salt'O, Studio Nyx was helped by the company SRD, manager of electricity distribution networks in New Aquitaine.
The team of Studio Nyx has been immerged during a day in the company SRD Energy and so collected real data like pictures, videos, sounds and technical documents on the 3 jobs selected for the game:
Substation Technician: carries out functional checks, commissioning and electrical maintenance in HTB / HTA source substations
Liaison officer: coordinates the different stakeholders and makes the link between the different services (police, firefighters, customers, technicians, etc.)
Lineworker : operates in construction, maintenance and troubleshooting work on electricity and gas networks and installations.
The three positions have been selected because of the difficulty in recruiting and their lack of popularity among young people.
This immersion day has brought us a lot of knowledge, which has allowed the team to learn about these professions unknown to general public. The collection of real data made it possible to implement real interventions in the game and create the game design.
PHASE 2: GAME DESIGN AND AIM OF THE GAME
The aim of Salt'O is to bring electrical power to the new neighborhoods of Toon City. To perform this, the 3 workers have to communicate and each succeed in three operations:
Changing a transormer in high voltage.
The addition of a mid-pole low voltage circuit breaker block.
Correction of an anomaly at the source substation.
To process with their tasks, the substation technician and the line worker are only able to communicate with the liaison officer who is the central position. Communication is therfore done in a pyramidal way, as in real life.
PHASE 3: ARTISTIC DIRECTION
The game is developed on standalone virtual reality headsets: that is, they are not plugged on computers ot operate. Their computing power is therefor much lower. Regarding the level of performance and as the project lended itself to it, it was decided the design would go in a far from realitt direction:
cartoon Colorful and fun, Salt'O immerges in a shimmering and positive world.
PHASE 4: RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
This project required a lot of R&D on the network part, autonomous headset and cable simulation. Our development team has set out to create a simulation of realistic electrical cables that does not consume much performance, allowing the Oculus Quest 2 to be able to support them.
To work properly, Salt'O needs a wifi-connected router and a computer serving as both client and server. This device allows the "Laison officer" player to play Salt'O, as welle as it allows the two virtual reality headsets to operate in networks.
The players communicate with each other through headsets at given times during the game. These communications are activated only when necessary, allowing students to understand how social interactions occur between the different jobs.
The Oculus Quest 2 are new headphones using android technology. The Studio Nyx team therefore had to discover the strengths and weaknesses of this headset and allow simple and functional development and use.
PHASE 5: DISCOVERING JOB / TRAINING
Salt’O introduces professions by featuring real-life interventions. To make a differene with classical training, Studio Nyx has removed complex or low-quality interactions in favor of operations such as screwing and unscrewing. On the other hand, all actions related to security or to the difficulty of the profession have been saved.
Salt'O offers a complete and realistic immersion in the world of electricity. It only takes one step to become a training tool for companies and schools.
PHASE 6: DEPLOYMENT AND USE
Demo day at SRD Energie company
The game is intended for the youngest and is deployed in schools and high schools. Studio Nyx has trained the teachers of Cardie Poitiers to enable them to be autonomous in setting up a game session.
After training, the teachers are able to assemble the equipment, launch the game, keep their students safe during the game, respect hygiene standards and store the equipment properly in a case specially created to accommodate the game.
Link to the Cardie Salt’O website : http://ww2.ac-poitiers.fr/cardie/spip.php?article574
The game has also been tested and approved by SRD Energies business experts, who found it “respectful of their professions and validated the tool for business discovery.”
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